I had a hatch due today but most of the eggs started pipping Wednesday & yesterday and 17 hatched between yesterday and this morning. Late last night a chick of mixed breed hatched and it had something hanging onto or coming out of it's bottom. The thing was very red and NOT his cord. It kinda looked like a bunch of coiled rope, squishy though(I'm not good at measurements but it was fairly thick, about the size of the cord area, and as big around as maybe a nickel? hard to say). I didn't know what to do and it was late so I just left him like that for the night. In the morning I saw that "the thing" had dried up and was stuck to the wire floor, so I quickly opened the lid and pinched off the dried up part of the thing that was still connected to the chick so that he could walk around again. Just took the chick out of the incubator to check it a little bit ago, and there's a little more dried "stuff" coming from his bottom, and some wetter stuff that kinda looks like intestine or something. It's really odd to be posting about this.. It's from where his cord should have dried up and dropped off at. I don't know if he got cut somehow coming out of the eggshell or if someone else pecked at his cord before it dried up or what. I figure he's going to die but is there anything I can do for him? He's so tiny..I'd like to help him live if there's any chance of that, or just try to ease his suffering. Please post if you have any advice that might help.

Quote:I wish i could tell you for sure what to do for the little on, but I don't think I'd leave it where the rest of the chicks can peck it. if it has half a chance it needs to be separated but still be able to see and hear it's hatch mates. If you have some type of iodine maybe in spray that would probably help or betadine mixed with some water so it's not so strong. Then if it makes it tonight offer some food mixed with warm water. Would be good if you could get a product called sav-a-chick and put that in it's drinking water. Hopefully someone else will have more ideas. please let us know how it's doing.

Higins, it wasn't quite like that. It was less balloon-ish and more squiggly like cords, or rope, but reddish/pink like flesh. He is still alive but not super active like the other chicks.

Nickie, I'll try to snap a picture.

Miss Lydia, he's still in the incubator and I moved all but 2 chicks out of there. I might take 1 of the 2 out tonight and then the other will come out tomorrow. And yes I have iodine that I could swab on, should I dilute that also? Where do you buy save-a-chick? Would Tractor Supply or perhaps a feed store carry it? I have poly-vi-sol w/o iron for the chicks, and Quik Chik, but have only offered this guy plain water so far. He wasn't very interested in it. I'll keep you posted.

I had a chick just like what you are discribing, it was like a ropey intestine coming off the unbilicle(sp?) area. I ended up culling, chick was pretty listless, the thing was not absorbing, just drying up and still pretty firmly attached and I have enough special needs pets. I personally would cull if you have it in you.

Thanks for the help guys, but there won't be any need for me to cull him . I just checked on him and he passed away sometime in the last hour or so. I'm glad he's not in pain anymore though, 'cause I'm sure that wasn't a comfortable situation. What exactly is save a chick for? Like what's in it? How's it different from other things?

Quote:I'm sorry the little one didn't make it. But probably for the best from what you described. Save-a- chick has electrolytes and vits in it. very useful for hatching and also for getting chicks in the mail, just gives them an extra boost. again sorry for your loss.

Sorry that happened to you. I had a chick like that, and I had to cull it (very difficult) becuse there was no imrovement, and anytime it moved, more intestines leaked out. Im glad for your sake that nature took its course and ended the little ones suffering.